Improvement in clutch-gearing



Unire@ Srarns PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA NICHOLSON, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLUTCH-GEARING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 105,817, datedNovember' l, 1870; antedalecl v October 2G, 1870.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, Eznn NICHOLSON, of the city of Cleveland, State ofOhio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clutch- Gearing,applicable to every kind of machinery wherein it is desirable to clutchand relieve the same at will while the machine is in motion or at rest;where the rotary movement of one part of the machinery is to becommunicated to another, as in case of countershafts of turning-lathes,85e.; where reciprocating or vibratory movementl is'to produce rotarymotion to shafts, as in the case of treadles to foot-lathes,sewing-machines, locomotive-axles of steam or hand cars of railroads,feed-gearing of planing and other machinery, wherein direct movementsare required, as in the case of measuring-machines or ascending inclinedplanes, by clutching rails, 85o., and I do hereby declare the followingto be a true and exact description of my said invention, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencethereon. v

To enable those skilled in the arts to make and use my invention, and,although by slight modifications of its form it is equally applicable toall the purposes named above, I shall proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation as applied to vibratory and rotary movements.

Figure lis a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a top View. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6,and 7 are detail views.

a is an axle iitted in journal-bearings h.

b is a wheel or pulley fitted and keyed to axle c, and has projectingrims on each side.

c c are levers fitted loosely on axle a.

cl cZ are wrench-levers made with a grooved jaw at one end, which iitloosely over the projecting rims of the pulley b. In the other end ofthis wrench-lever is a slot, and is -loosely connected to the lever c bya pin at t.

g is a connecting-rod coupling the lever c, through which the power istransmitted from the hand-lever, steam-engine, or other source of power.

Reversing (wpm'atua-j is a rock-shaft resting in movablejournal-bearings. L 7c are arms of nearly equal length attached to saidrockshaft. m m are links connecting the arms k k to the wrench-lever d dat a a. p is a rethrown forward, and the links m m will move thewrench-levers d d forward of the bisecting line o o. The notch-guardwill hold all these parts in this position. The clutchv is then set torevolve the shaft in the direction of the arrows.- By vibrating thelever c, by hand or other power, the pin i, acting in the slot at theupper end .of the wrench-lever d, will cause it to move and iirmly gripthe rim on both outer and inner surface, and cause the wheel to turn inthe direction of the arrow, while the other wrench-lever, d', being heldby the link mf in its relative position forward of bisecting line o',will not clutch the rim,

but slide freely back and grip the rim on the return stroke of the levero, and thus the wrench-levers land d will act alternately, and themotion be continuous. By throwing the reversing-lever forward, thewrench-levers d and d will be drawn back of the bisecting line o o andcause the wrench-levers to grip on their return movement and the axle ato revolve inthe opposite direction.

' 'Note first-In cases where iiy-wheels or other continuation of powersare used, but one of the wrench-levers will be needed.

Note .second-In case the axle is only required to move in one direction,the whole of the reverse apparatus may be dispensed with, as it is onlynecessary to prevent thevwrenchlever d from passing from the side ofbisecting line on which it is intended to work, and the axle will answerall the purposes by so forming the wrench-lever as to touch it on thereturn-stroke, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Note think-It is immaterial to the plan or well-working of the clutchwhether the rim of the wheel be clamped by the groove in the lever orthe lever be clamped by the groove in the wheel, as shown in Figs 6 and7.

That I claim as new, und desire to secure tielly as described7 and forthe purposeshereby Letters Patent, is# in set forth.

1. The clutch entire, as constructed and specified. E. NICHOLSON. [L 5.]

2. The Wrench-lever d, acting on a rim or in :n groove, as described.Vtnesses:

3. The reversing apparatus, as applied to LEWIS H. FRENCH,

XVILLIAM BURNHMI.

the Wrench-levers, or its equivalent, substan-

